


Flatline

by Wishmaker1028



Series: Crash and Burn [3]
Category: Crash Bandicoot (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-26 08:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20926946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishmaker1028/pseuds/Wishmaker1028
Summary: An alternate telling to the Crash and Burn series. What if the Evil Twins attack got Cortex in the heart, killing him? This is the story of a young girl trying to find her family. And a mutant bandicoot trying to find the answer to why. Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a rather unsettling week for Crash Bandicoot. First, he and Dr. Neo Cortex had another _"meeting"_. Second, a new evil called the Evil Twins came to the island and threatened the world. Third and most interesting part of all, Crash and Cortex were teaming up. Crash never thought, in his wildest dreams, that they would team up.

In the beginning, Crash had started to learn a bit more about Cortex. He was the youngest of four older siblings. His father had died five years ago, during the time he was trapped in the ice. Crash lowered his ears when he heard that.

"What?" Cortex asked him.

_"Is that why you wanted to have revenge? Because of him?" _Crash questioned.

There was an odd silence that followed that question. Crash waited for an answer, feeling that he was on thin ice when he asked that. Surprisingly enough, the answer finally came.

"No." Crash perked up in surprise. No? He was about to press for an answer but Cortex sighed. He muttered, "Honestly, I don't know why I wanted revenge. I honestly don't know why I came back after being frozen in the ice. There was no reason for me to come back. I could've gone back home..." 

His voice trailed off as the way he said home made Crash raise an eyebrow. There was another place that he called home? Cortex just mindlessly petted Crash in between his ears. Crash perked up. Cortex had never done that before. So... why now? Was he trusting Crash?

_Or was it something else?_

Crash never found the answer to that. Even when Cortex brought his niece Nina along. Crash saw something in her that he never saw in Cortex: innocence. She never wanted what Cortex wanted. Crash had pity for her. But he started to see something different in Cortex: conflict. Crash didn't know what to make of it though.

Then _it_ happened.

He did the one thing that Crash wasn't expecting in a million years.

Cortex took a shot for him - which had gone straight threw his heart - and then died from it instantly. Nina ran to his side and Crash punched out the Evil Twins away from them. He turned back to Nina, who was crying next to her dead uncle.

_Why...? Why did you do that...?_

Crash carried the dead body back to Iceberg Lair, teleporting them back to their dimension, where the others were waiting. The minute they all saw Cortex dead in Crash's arms, the reactions were all different. Aku-Aku, N. Gin, Coco, Crunch, and Tiny were all shocked. Dingodile was dumbfounded. The rest of the bad guys were all surprised. Nise didn't know what to think of it. Uka-Uka was the only one that didn't react. He just left the island that day.

A day later, oddly enough on a gloomy rainy day, Nina had her uncle buried near his castle by the bay. She held a black rose in her right hand. Everyone came to pay their respects. Crash was, oddly enough, crying. He sniffled and thought, _'Why am I crying over this? He always wanted me dead!'  
_

_If he wanted you dead, he would not have saved your life._

That made Crash cry even harder. Coco placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with a bit of sadness, anger, and regret in his eyes. Coco flinched a bit. She had no idea what had happened in the 10th dimension or even before that but she wished that she had stopped for a moment. She thought, _'Why didn't I ask him? Why didn't I ask Cortex for the truth? Maybe I could've done something...'_

"I'm sorry Crash..." She whispered, tears in her eyes.

Crash didn't say anything. He was lost in thought. Coco was going to try again but Crunch placed a hand on her shoulder. The young genius looked to the bodybuilder, whom just shook his head. Coco frowned but nodded. Crash needed time. N. Gin went over to Nina, handing her a tissue. Nina smiled a bit, taking the tissue, and blew her nose.

N. Gin softly commented, "I am so sorry about this, Nina."

Nina sniffled, "It's not your fault... I... I just don't know what to do now. I have no place here anymore..."

There was a long period of silence between them. Nina placed the black rose on the tombstone. It read: _'Dr. Neo Perwinkle Cortex, scientist and uncle. Born 08/21/1957 - Died 09/28/2004.'_ Nina was trying to stop her tears but more came out than expected.

_"Nina?"_

The Goth girl turned a bit, seeing Crash was standing with her. He gave her a small hug. She was a bit surprised that he was but given the circumstances... She eventually gave in and returned his hug. She cried into his shoulder. Crash rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. But it was of no use, she kept crying. So he decided to help her to their house. After all, she did need a place to stay. Nina felt Crash directing her to the house. She wanted to protest but she did want to get out of this rain. So she followed the orange mutant to the house.

...

That evening, Crash had Nina take his room. Nina had barely managed to take a shower, let alone to change in the pajamas that Aku-Aku got her. Everyone was being really nice to her. And she didn't know how to feel about that. She put on the dark blue pajamas. They were so soft and fuzzy. She almost felt like falling asleep in the restroom. She quickly shook her head and opened the door. She walked into the kitchen, seeing that Crunch was making something.

He turned to her and asked, "Hey Nina. How was the shower?"

Nina honestly answered, "I barely managed..." She sat down at the table near Crunch, watching him for a moment. There was a silence between them though it wasn't an awkward one. Finally she asked, "What are you making?"

Crunch answered, "Something I knew that would help you sleep." He got a mug out of the cabinet, pouring some hot liquid into it. He added, "It's green mint tea with a small touch of Wumpa Fruit."

Nina wanted to protest but it actually smelled good. He handed her the mug, smiling at her. She took it with care and blew on it. She took a sip. She smiled a bit.

She admitted, "That's the best thing I've tasted in a while."

Crunch chuckled, "I thought you might like it."

Nina yawned a bit, rubbing her eyes. She placed the mug on the table. "I should've drank this in Crash's room..." She looked around for him. But that's when she noticed that Crash was missing. "Where is he anyhow?" She asked.

Crunch pointed into the living room. Nina looked, seeing that Crash had fallen asleep in his easy chair. She had to chuckle at that a bit. She walked over to his sleeping form, kissing his forehead gently. Crash kept sleeping, completely unaware. She petted him in between the ears. Crash felt that in his sleep, oddly enough. He didn't stir but kept snoozing.

_But it gave him such deja vue._

Nina went into Crash's room, saying goodnight to Crunch in the process. Crunch gave her a small smile, saying goodnight back. She closed the door quietly. She waited for a moment before she collapsed to the floor, in tears. She sobbed so quietly that everyone thought she went to sleep. She fell asleep on the floor, wet with her tears.

...

_Wishmaker1028: There we go! That's the first chapter to Flatline! Hope you all enjoyed! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	2. Chapter 2

Nina slowly stirred, the sunshine coming in from the curtains. She groaned, stretching a bit. She felt awfully comfortable. She looked down and saw that she was in Crash's bed. She was also covered in a blanket too. She raised an eyebrow. She could've sworn...

"Good morning Nina." A familiar male voice commented. Nina turned her head, seeing Aku-Aku was in the room. Nina raised an eyebrow. The magical mask quickly explained, "I decided to check on you last night. I saw that you fell asleep on the floor so I brought you to bed."

Nina smiled a bit. "Thank you Aku-Aku." She modestly said.

"You know that you aren't alone. You can always talk to us." The magical mask reassured.

Nina sighed softly, "That... might be harder for me to do. Uncle and I never had an open relationship." 

Upon talking about her uncle, her face dropped. She quickly looked outside.

Aku-Aku told her, "I'm sorry Nina. We all are."

With that, the magical mask left her be. She sniffled, _'Why... why did you do it uncle... I still need you...'_ She sat up in bed, letting her bare feet hit the ground. She walked over to the closet and saw that the magical mask had left her some new clothes. She smiled a tad, looking at what he got her. She took off her pajamas, quickly putting on some fresh underwear. She kept her black skull ankle bracelet on. It was the last thing that her uncle gave her before he...

Nina tried not to whine. But she did and she did, a bit loudly. Aku-Aku, whom was waiting outside of the door with the rest of his family, frowned sadly.

"Wow, she is really going through a tough time right now..." Coco muttered.

"Wish she would just talk to one of us." Aku-Aku stated softly.

"That's gonna be really hard right now." Crunch replied.

Crash looked at the door sadly. He felt so guilty right now. He was about to knock when the door opened. Nina was standing there. She was wearing a dark blue short sleeved blouse with a black ribbon at the top, dark blue caprice, gray socks, and black sneakers. She wore gray clips in her hair.

_"Nina."_ Crash breathed.

Nina smiled a bit at him, petting him in between the ears. Crash was surprised. She turned to the magical mask.

"Thank you for the clean clothes, by the way." She told him.

"I'm glad that they fit." Aku-Aku admitted.

"And they look amazing on you." Coco gushed.

She responded, "Thank you." She then sighed sadly, looking down. Everyone looked at her with a worried gaze. She finally spoke after a moment, "I just wish I knew what to do. I feel like I don't belong here anymore. I told N. Gin that last night..."

Crunch softly reminded her, "You can always stay here with us. We are your friends after all."

Nina raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject. Instead, she just nodded. Just then, Crash snapped his fingers, as if he remembered something. He quickly ran into his room. He came back out a minute later, holding a newspaper clipping.

Crash handed it to her and started to say, _"This is something your uncle gave me before he..."_ He trailed off, trying to hold back any tears. Nina needed him right now. He added, _"He said that this was the reason why he wanted to leave before this all happened."_

Nina took the article and saw it was written by Nacey White. Her curiosity peeked as she started to read it aloud.

_"Thank you dear readers for joining me here. As you all know, I have been doing this column for years. I have been writing all about my hometown and the family that surrounds me everyday. As you all recall, my father had passed away five years ago. I still remember all of my family coming together that day to say their final farewells. Even my sister, who left my hometown for the United States, had come._

_"It's strange how everyone would come out for a funeral instead of any other event. What happened to families getting together around the television to watch the soccer game? Or to the families eating together around the dinner table? It seems like those good times are long since dead. I miss talking with my brother about the good and bad times. Heck, I just miss him._

_"My brother is a rather strange man. He is a man of science, always wanting to discover what lies beyond the outside realm. He's never been really successful. But that has never changed my opinion of him. He is my brother, there's no changing that. He's taken the wrong path in life several times. Yet I never once turned my back on him.  
_

_"Though there are times I wish I could just shake him and he would listen to me. But he's always been such a stubborn man. Reminds me too much of grandpa."_

Nina had to giggle at that. Crash softly smiled. It was the first laugh she had since... Crash shook his head. He knew Nina had to read this article. He didn't know why. Nina continued to read aloud.

_"Short and sweet, dear readers. Keep all of your family close to you. Even the ones that aren't blood related. Your friends are family too. I hope that my brother comes to his senses one day. ~Nacey White"_

Crash looked at Nina, whom had a confused look on her face.

_"Nina?"_ Crash asked, gaining her attention.

Nina apologized, "Sorry Crash. I just don't understand why he would have this."

Coco shrugged, "Maybe he is a big Nacey White fan? She is a rather huge newspaper columnist after all so it wouldn't surprise me."

Nina wasn't so sure about that. It was like the article was speaking to her and she didn't know why.

She muttered lowly, "Maybe I should go to London..."

Crunch overheard this as he asked, "And do what exactly?"

Nina was the one to shrug this time. But as the idea rang in her head, the idea became something she became attached to.

Crash finally spoke, _"While your uncle and I were headed down the mountain, we did accidentally ran into a bed and breakfast. _**[1]**_ He recognized someone there as his mother."_

Nina turned to Crash, eyes wide. "You mean that grandma might still be here?! Where was this?!"

Crash told her, _"It was at Nise's bed and breakfast."_

Nina groaned, "Aw you got to be kidding me! That's a safe house for all evil families. Uka-Uka might show up!"

Crash placed a hand on her shoulder. He offered, _"I'll go with you. After all, he won't stand a chance with both of us there."_

Nina nodded in agreement. With that, the two of them headed out towards the mountain.

...

**[1]: I know originally it was a moulin but for this story, I am changing it to a bed and breakfast instead. I wrote in 'Stories for Another Time' that Fake Crash - Nise - runs the place.**

...

_Wishmaker1028: Well there we go guys! Chapter 2 is done! Hope you all enjoyed! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, an elderly lady was packing up her things. Her gray hair rested in a messy bun with chopsticks holding it. She had warm brown eyes with wrinkles on her face. She was wearing a turquoise short sleeve blouse, white dress pants, white socks, and white sneakers. She closed her blue luggage, sighing sadly. She zipped it up, trying her hardest not to look at the picture inside of her bag. Just then, there was a knock at her door. She took her cane in hand and went to the door. She opened it and standing there was Nise.

_"Hello Ms. Felix."_ He greeted sadly.

She gave him a small sad smile. "I guess I'm ready to go home, Nise."

He softly offered, _"You welcome to another night."_ She petted in between his ears gently, making him look at her with worry. She was about to politely decline when she saw two people coming up to Nise. One of them, she knew in a heartbeat. The other was from the other day. Nise looked at them and asked, _"Crash? Nina? What you doing here?"_

Crash explained, _"Listen, when Cortex and I were here the other day... there was someone here he recognized as his mom. We were wondering if she was still here."_

The lady behind Nise spoke and quietly admitted, "I'm his mother." All eyes were on her as she introduced herself, "My name is Stacey Felix." Crash instantly was glad that they had come. Though he wished it was under better circumstances. Before they could get a chance to tell her anything, she ushered the two in her room. She turned to Nise, whispering something in his ear. He nodded, taking her luggage into the lobby. Stacey sighed sadly, "I know why you both are here."

Crash raised an eyebrow and asked, "You do?"

Stacey admitted sadly, "I was at the funeral." She turned to Nina, who was awfully quiet. She gave her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to be shy with me. Just because I'm a good guy."

Nina asked, "But how does my uncle have a good guy for a mom? I've got so many questions..."

Stacey ushered them both to sit down. They obliged her, while she sat on the edge of her bed.

She stated, "It all started... a lifetime ago. When Neo was born, he was often tease about his IQ. The only one that stood up for him, the only friend he had in the world - was his sister - your mother deary." Nina instantly perked up. Stacey nodded as she continued, "They were side by side, day by day. Then one day, Robert's father had gone into the hospital. His father was a bad guy and wanted to pass down his ambitious to his next of kin. Since my eldest son had already signed up to be in the Army, it fell oddly enough on your uncle. He made Neo promise that he would take over the world - for the honor of the Cortex name."

"And that's all it took for Uncle Neo to become evil?" Nina asked with an eyebrow raised.

Stacey shook her head. "No, your uncle was very close to him. They were very good friends until his dying days. Anyways, when that happened, your uncle begged me to enroll him into the Academy of Evil. I always hated the fact that his mind was now plagued by evil..." Stacey paused for a moment, looking at Nina and then at Crash. She added a bit mystified, "Although... I wasn't expecting for him to save your life, Crash."

Crash softly mumbled, "Yeah neither was I..."

Stacey decided to change the subject and continued with her story. "Even though I was disappointed, that never changed your mother's mind. She insisted on writing Neo whenever she could. She often told him about her school work and what she was going through every chance she got. He did the same, keeping their bond in tact. Eventually, Neo returned back home one day when he was 18. He had graduated with honors and wanted to celebrate with the only girl that he knew that would dance with him."

Nina whispered, "Mom..."

Stacey nodded. "Indeed. Even they were on opposite sides, your uncle treasured your mother very much. The two partied all night long and before long, he was gone again. He was off to prove that he was the worst. Then one day, when your mother was 21, she had met a fellow by the name of Thomas White. They had become fast friends and even faster lovers. She loved Thomas with her heart and soul. She even told Neo all about him. Neo was glad that she was happy but..."

Both Crash and Nina perked up. Stacey had trailed off, furrowing her brows angrily. Nina assumed the worst.

Crash gained her attention and asked, _"Uh... Ms. Felix? What happened?"_

Stacey was unable to answer for awhile. There was an uneven pause in the air. Nina felt like she was on edge.

Finally she answered, "Thomas turned out to be a bad guy, trying to find Neo. Apparently they had some sort of score to settle and Thomas decided to use Neo's own sister to get to him." Nina and Crash both gasped in horror. Stacey nodded rather painfully. She added, "Neo had arrived hours later on his airship, scaring Thomas off. Your mother was alright but she was obliviously scared. She held onto her brother, wailing for hours. They stayed like that for hours."

Nina couldn't believe it. Her mother had been used. She felt like she needed a shower. Crash stared at her for a long period of time. Before he could ask, Nina turned to Crash.

"I... I..." She stammered.

Crash instantly got up from his seat and hugged her. Nina returned it, the tears in her eyes. Stacey hated telling that to them but they were asking... She held back her tears as she thought of Nacey's despair that day. She wiped her eyes, looking at Nina.

"I'm sorry sweetie. But the truth needs to come out." Stacey told her. Nina didn't say anything but weakly managed a nod. She looked at her grandma. Stacey could see the lingering question in her eyes. She answered, "Yes deary, your mother is still alive."

Nina was relieved when she heard that. She finally came a decision about leaving though.

"I want to go with you. I want to meet my family..." She stated.

Stacey nodded. "I thought as much. So I had Nise get us two tickets for the plan ride home."

Crash asked Nina, _"Are you sure this is a good idea going alone? What if Thomas is lingering around?"_

Nina answered, "Then he'll be meeting my fists for what he did to Mom!"

Crash was surprised at her determination. But he understood completely. Stacey smiled at her oldest granddaughter and thought, _'So like her uncle too.'_

...

_Wishmaker1028: There we go guys! Chapter 3 is done! Hope you all enjoyed! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours later, Nina and Stacey were at the Wumpa Airport. They had already said goodbye to Crash and his family in private, since Nina was technically still evil. Nina sat down in a seat next to her grandma. She had to admit, she was rather nervous. Stacey sensed this and held her close.

She commented, "Don't fret sweetie. Your mother will love to see you again."

Nina sighed and admitted, "Not really what I was worried about..."

Stacey raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you worried about?"

Nina kept her eyes on the window, constantly looking outside. It was starting to get late, almost nighttime when the plane had taken off. She rubbed the back oh her neck sheepishly.

She quietly told Stacey, "I've never been away from the island before. I don't know what to expect..."

Stacey smiled. "Don't worry, you will love London. Your mother and I will show you around. There is this quaint cafe on Isaac Avenue that I know that you will love." 

Nina's eye fell on her grandma, her eyes at full attention. Stacey giggled as she continued with tales of her hometown.

...

Meanwhile, Crash had found himself in the middle of Papu Papu's tribe. He looked up at the pyrmaid and saw a strange red mist coming down by his feet. It smelled like campfire, oddly enough. He looked up again, seeing two floating figures in the distance. He paled. _  
_

_No - it couldn't be... they were gone..._

"Well, well, well! Look at who it is! Crash Bandicoot!" Victor told his brother.

"Let's destroy him brother!" Mortiz stated.

With a flash of red light, their robot appeared. But it looked different than before. It looked... menacing... Not know what to do, Crash quickly tried to run but saw that a purple mist had his legs trapped in place.

_"H - hey!"_ Crash protested.

"Like we were going to let you get something to defeat us with!" Mortiz taunted.

"What do you take us for?! Fools?!" Victor added.

That's when the robot advanced closer to the bandicoot. Crash closed his eyes, bracing for impact. But it never came. Crash slowly opened his eyes, seeing Cortex oddly in front of him. Crash could only stare in complete and utter horror as the robot went threw Cortex's heart.

_"CORTEX!!!!!"_ Crash screamed in agony.

"I... can't... let you die... because of something I did..."

Crash bolted up from his nightmare, panting up a storm. He looked around, seeing that he was home.

_He was safe and sound._

Crash went out of his room, his hand on his head. He walked mutely into the kitchen. What a nightmare... He saw Cortex raiding the fridge with an empty plate in hand. There was a knife on the counter, along with a mustard jar. With them was the loaf of wheat bread. Cortex took out the ham slices that were on the first shelf. Crash perked up.

_"Cortex...?"_ He asked.

Cortex perked up, seeing Crash out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing up?" He asked casually. Crash didn't know what to make of this. He felt really confused right now. What was he doing here? And raiding _his_ fridge on top of that? Cortex saw the horror in his eyes and questioned knowingly, "Another nightmare?"

Crash barely nodded. It wasn't far from the truth. He explained, _"Y - yeah... about the Evil Twins killing you..."_

Cortex didn't say anything to that. He continued to make his ham sandwich. He put the bread on the plate, spreading the mustard on it. He then put the ham slices on it. He returned the ham slices to the fridge before turning to Crash.

He pointed into the fridge, "You want anything?" Crash shook his head as Cortex closed it. He grabbed up the sandwich, taking a bite. Crash was still really confused. Why was this happening? Cortex saw his gaze and frowned. He semi-joked, "You look like something that the cat dragged in."

Crash pouted. He wished Cortex would take this seriously. He admitted, _"It felt so real! I saw them shooting you threw in the heart..."_

The bandicoot paused, tears in his eyes. He never felt so guilty. 

_Why...? Why did he have that nightmare? _

Cortex put down his sandwich, hugging him gently. He rubbed his back, letting Crash cry on his shoulder. Not a word was exchanged. Eventually, Crash had calmed down.

Cortex noticed this and asked, "Feeling better?"

Crash answered sleepily, _"A bit..."_

The bandicoot closed his eyes, feeling safe - oddly enough - in Cortex's arms.

...

Back with the girls, Nina had woken up from a semi-decent sleep. She rubbed her eyes, seeing that Stacey was asleep next to her. She smiled, looking out the window. They were still high up in the clouds. She stretched a bit as she was careful not to wake her grandma. She felt anxious still but this was more towards meeting her mom. Stacey had been so mysterious about her. Nina couldn't help but wonder why.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived at the London terminal. We hope you had a pleasant flight with us on Wumpa Airlines."_ The pilot stated.

Nina perked up. They were that close already? The nerves set in as Stacey woke up. She looked outside and saw that they were landing. She smiled. She turned to Nina. She saw that she was tense. She rubbed her cheek lovingly.

"We are almost there, sweetie." She soothed.

"Who's supposed to meet us anyways?" Nina asked.

Stacey answered, "My oldest daughter, Jasmine, and her family." She saw Nina looking down and reassured, "Don't worry, you will meet your mother at my house."

Nina questioned, "Why are you being so mysterious about her?"

She half teased, "Because she might get you star struck."

Nina raised an eyebrow but decided to drop the subject. The plane had landed anyhow. After a few moments, the two had entered the lobby of the airport. They saw a family of three waiting for them. One of them was a thirteen year old girl. She had short brown hair that went to her shoulders. She had brown eyes, wearing a purple short sleeved blouse, gray capri, and black sneakers. Nina looked at her parents. 

The man had short blonde hair, stunning blue eyes, wearing a dress blue shirt with a gray tie, gray dress pants, and black dress shoes. The woman had brown hair in a pixie haircut. She had brown eyes, wearing a dark red short sleeved dress, black leggings, and black dress shoes. They looked at Stacey with a smile. As for Nina, they stared coldly. The only one that didn't was the girl.

"Nina Cortex?" The woman asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah...?" Nina questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Stacey introduced, "Nina, meet my daughter Jasmine, her husband; Anthony, and their daughter; Darla."

...

_Wishmaker1028: Well there we have it! Chapter 4 is done! Just what is going on, you ask? Well, I can't tell just yet. For now though, please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


End file.
